Letter of Intent Signed with Republic of Buryatia

On September 6, NEDO and the Government of the Republic of Buryatia of the Russian Federation signed a letter of intent (LOI) on enhanced cooperation with respect to advanced eco-friendly waste treatment systems at the Eastern Economic Forum.

The LOI confirms two important issues: first, the particulars necessary for NEDO to complete the baseline survey currently being conducted to expand dissemination of Japan's advanced waste treatment systems in the Republic of Buryatia, and second, the commitment of the two parties to further enhance their cooperation.

1．Overview

Due to Russia's remarkable economic development in recent years, reducing the environmental impact of waste landfills has become an important social issue, prompting the development of legal systems governing waste treatment and necessitating the introduction of waste treatment systems that suitably treat waste without causing environmental problems.

On September 2, 2016, NEDO concluded a memorandum of cooperation on information exchange with the Agency of Technological Development (ATD) of the Russian Federation, and has since been engaged in discussions with ATD on how Japan’s advanced technology might be utilized to address social issues in Russia.

In conjunction with a subsequent Japan-Russia summit meeting, NEDO signed an LOI on information exchange with the Government of the Republic of Buryatia on December 16, 2016, aimed at expanding the dissemination of Japan's advanced waste treatment technology. On April 17, 2017, a second LOI was signed to effectively collect the information needed for a baseline survey on advanced eco-friendly waste treatment systems.

Consistent with the previous LOIs, NEDO and the Republic of Buryatia have now signed a new LOI which confirms the particulars necessary for NEDO to complete the above survey and affirms the two parties’ commitment to pursue enhanced cooperation.

The activities under the LOI will be carried out in accordance with one of the eight points discussed at the recent Japan-Russia summit meeting, developing comfortable and clean cities that are easy to live in and support active lives. Funding for these activities will be provided by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

2．LOI signing

Mr. Makoto Watanabe, Executive Director of NEDO, and Mr. Yuriy Safiyanov, Acting Minister of Natural Resources of the Republic of Buryatia, signed the LOI on September 6 at the Eastern Economic Forum held in Vladivostok, Russia.